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5 Reasons to Modernize with Cloud: Chemicals Edition

 

In recent years, technology advancements like cloud computing, data analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices have created new opportunities for chemical companies but also new pain points as they’ve been required to move out of their comfort zones to digitally transform.

Couple that with the increased industry visibility brought on by the pandemic and worldwide prioritization of issues like climate change, sustainability, and healthcare, and it’s not surprising that many business leaders in the chemicals space feel like they’re still wrapping their heads around modern business demands and working to meet these new challenges.

Enter: cloud modernization.

Enhancing your IT infrastructure through cloud migration, adopting a hybrid environment, or modernizing existing cloud applications will position your chemical company to navigate new changes as they arise with greater agility and smart, data-driven decision making power.

In the sections that follow, we’ll discuss five reasons why there’s no time like the present for chemical companies to modernize with cloud and why Protera is the best partner to help you do it.

Quick Takeaways

  • Cloud-based and hybrid infrastructures enable chemical companies to operate with little disruption in today’s complex IT environments.
  • Cloud-powered data insights drive the breakthrough innovations that lead to new high-value products and solutions in the chemicals industry.
  • The cloud helps facilitate collaboration across chemical companies’ unique networks of contributors — corporate, academic, and regulatory (among others).
  • Cloud modernization centralizes compliance data (regulations, protocols, and reporting among others) into a single interface for better oversight.
  • The cloud enhances IoT technology for both internal data reporting and wider-reaching supply chain visibility.

5 Reasons Chemicals Companies Should Modernize with Cloud

#1: Flexible infrastructure

The IT infrastructures that support chemical company operations have become more complex in recent years. Driven by expanded networks and supply chains, heavy M&A activity, and the growth of remote work brought on by the pandemic, companies now require greater flexibility when it comes to operating their IT environments.

Companies must be able to successfully handle change without disruption, a key capability of the cloud, where software applications can be more easily updated, added, and replaced as needed to support evolving business needs.

Further, companies that want or need to maintain some level of on-premise infrastructure can do so while still taking advantage of the cloud in ways that make sense — for example, by running on-premise systems for the primary enterprise but operating subsidiaries on the cloud for streamlined oversight.

The cloud enables fast and seamless setup and configuration, as well as powerful cloud native technologies and tools from hyperscalers, meaning new additions to your company network can be quickly connected and managed without spending weeks (or more) on procuring and installing hardware systems.

#2: Enhanced data capabilities

The sheer volume of data that companies create and use every day requires new strategies for storage, analysis, and sharing from plants to business users that legacy systems are often not equipped to handle.

Today, much of that value lies in AI-powered analytics that drive real-time insights and decisions — without these insights chemical companies couldn’t operate agile organizations or meet the expectations customers now have for time-to-solution while also maintaining quality standards.

Further, data insights may drive innovations that turn into products. If a company’s data capabilities are outdated or supported by less-than-optimized systems, they’re no doubt a step behind competitors in an already-crowded chemicals industry landscape.

#3: Greater collaboration

The chemicals industry requires a unique network that involves corporate enterprises, academic institutions, numerous regulatory agencies, and a vast network of logistics contributors.

Collaboration across the organization is essential to achieving optimal outcomes, and the cloud has made it more seamless than ever before. Data can be stored and shared in the cloud while maintaining strict access controls when needed to maintain security and compliance.

Idea sharing is facilitated by shared off-premise repositories (think Google Docs, Office 365, or an industry-specific platform) for notes, data visualizations, collaborative documents, and other updates that keep multiple initiatives informed and moving forward at the same time.

Cloud-powered automation has also played a crucial role in enhancing collaboration, enabling real-time alerts and monitoring to keep stakeholders informed with no manual action required.

#4: Improved compliance

Chemical companies navigate a myriad of compliance regulations that vary depending on product, initiative, vertical, sectors served, and more. Multiple organizations (including the EPA, FDA, OSHA, EHS and many others) all have different priorities and regulatory requirements that must be followed.

The cloud centralizes the many components required for chemical companies to stay compliant, including process and workflow management, data governance, resource and waste management, supply chain oversight, and overarching security standards. Cloud-based software solutions enable monitoring across every relevant organization to ensure compliance is consistent and no gaps exist across the entire network.

#5: Leverage IoT

IoT has emerged as a transformative technology over the past decade-plus, and the chemicals industry is no exception to its impact. For chemical companies, IoT plays two key roles: collecting data from equipment to provide updates and automate performance reporting, and increasing visibility across the supply chain.

IoT isn’t cloud-exclusive, but modernizing to cloud expands its accessibility to every stakeholder and company that could benefit. With widened use of IoT comes increased productivity, better communication, streamlined processes, enhanced analytics, and more earned revenue.

Why Protera is the Best Partner for Chemical Companies Modernizing with Cloud

Protera is a pioneer and leader in SAP cloud modernization — we help companies maximize their investment in SAP and mission-critical applications across the business while shifting focus to projects up the stack.

With Protera as your SAP modernization partner, you’ll experience:

  • Financial Governance - Real time dashboard of cloud costs and continuous monitoring of potential cost reduction and budget reallocation opportunities.
  • Data Security - Data intelligence and 24/7 security and monitoring to unearth insights as well as protect every layer of your company and data.
  • Operational Scale - Managed IT services team that manages, deploys, and backs up your enterprise assets so you can focus on projects up the stack.
  • Automation Experts - Fully integrated SAP and enterprise technology solutions driven by automation reduce risk and accelerate time to value.
  • Continuous Improvement - Embedded across Protera’s application and cloud-managed services model.

 

 

Learn more about SAP Cloud Modernization with Protera and schedule your virtual solutioning session today.
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